Wafer heat treatment equipment capable of preventing surface copper electroplated layer from being oxidized

Abstract

The utility model discloses wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of a surface copper electroplated layer, which comprises a heat treatment seat for forming a heat treatment cavity, a heating disc and a cooling disc which are arranged in the heat treatment cavity at intervals, a heat conduction part for supplying heat conduction gas into the heat treatment cavity, and a transfer part, wherein the heat treatment seat is provided with a wafer feed port communicated with the heat treatment cavity; a cooling station is arranged on the top face of the cooling disc, a suspended heating station is arranged above the heating disc, during feeding, a wafer passes through the feeding port and is horizontally placed on the cooling station, and the transferring component is used for moving the wafer between the cooling station and the heating station. According to the utility model, on one hand, wafers are heated and cooled in the heat treatment cavity in sequence, so that the wafers are prevented from being oxidized due to external influence, the surface coating quality of the wafers is ensured, and the heat treatment efficiency is effectively improved; and on the other hand, the picking and placing times of the wafer are greatly reduced, the probability that the wafer is deformed and damaged due to stress is effectively reduced, and the yield of products is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of heat treatment equipment, and in particular relates to a wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of a surface copper electroplating layer. Background Art

[0002] Annealing process plays an important role in semiconductor manufacturing, especially in the process of inlaying copper interconnects on wafers. Since the crystal lattice in the wafer is disturbed by the electroplated copper ions, the size of the crystal lattice changes. Therefore, in order to reorganize the crystal lattice, the wafer after electroplating needs to be heat treated.

[0003] At present, there is a Chinese patent with a publication number of CN219476630U, which discloses a wafer heating and cooling device, wherein the cooling device includes a cooling shell and a positioning block, the cooling shell is installed at the first station, the bottom surface of the cooling shell is built with a cooling water channel, and the cooling water channel is connected to a cooling water inlet joint and a cooling water outlet joint; the heating device includes a base, a heating plate and a ceramic suction cup, the base and the frame are fixedly connected and installed at the second station; the heating plate is installed on the base; the ceramic suction cup is detachably installed on the surface of the heating plate. That is to say, in this prior art, when performing heat treatment, the wafer is placed on the ceramic suction cup, and the heating plate below heats the wafer. After heating, the wafer is taken out and placed in the second station on the upper layer, and the cooling shell cools the wafer down, and finally the wafer is taken out again.

[0004] However, in the actual heat treatment process, the above device has the following defects:

[0005] 1) After each heating, the wafer needs to be taken out of the heating device and then put into the cooling device. This is not only cumbersome, but also slow in cooling down the wafer and inefficient. Moreover, the wafer is exposed to the outside world at high temperature and is prone to oxidation, which affects the quality of the wafer surface coating.

[0006] 2) The robot is required to pick up and place the wafer multiple times, and during the picking and placing process, due to the position error of the robot, the probability of the wafer being deformed and damaged by force is high. Summary of the invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a new wafer heat treatment device which can prevent oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solutions adopted by the utility model are as follows:

[0009] A wafer heat treatment device for preventing oxidation of a surface copper electroplating layer, the heat treatment device comprises a heat treatment seat forming a heat treatment chamber, a heating plate and a cooling plate arranged in the heat treatment chamber at intervals, a heat conducting component for supplying heat conducting gas into the heat treatment chamber, and a transfer component, wherein the heat treatment seat is provided with a wafer feed port connected to the heat treatment chamber; a cooling station is arranged on the top surface of the cooling plate, and a suspended heating station is arranged above the heating plate. When feeding, the wafer passes through the feed port and is horizontally placed at the cooling station, and the transfer component is used to move the wafer between the cooling station and the heating station.

[0010] According to a specific implementation and preferred aspect of the utility model, the heat treatment seat includes a seat body and an upper cover arranged on the top surface of the seat body, wherein the seat body is recessed inward from the top surface to form a groove, a heat treatment chamber is formed between the upper cover and the groove, and the heating plate and the cooling plate are respectively installed in the groove. Hereby, the equipment can be easily disassembled and assembled for easy repair and maintenance.

[0011] Preferably, a feed port is formed on one side of the groove close to the cooling plate, and in the horizontal orthographic projection, the cooling station is located between the top and bottom edges of the feed port. Here, it is convenient for an external robot to deliver the wafer into the heat treatment chamber and accurately place it on the cooling station, and it is also convenient for an external robot to take the wafer out of the heat treatment chamber.

[0012] Preferably, the side of the groove close to the heating plate forms an arc surface extending around the heating plate, and the arc surface has a plurality of gas guide holes connected to the heat conduction component, and the heat conduction gas is sprayed into the heat treatment chamber from the plurality of gas guide holes along the horizontal direction; and / or, the heat conduction gas is helium. Here, the heat conduction gas can quickly enter the space between the wafer and the heating plate, thereby improving heat conduction.

[0013] Preferably, the top of the seat body is also formed with a plug-in groove extending circumferentially around the groove, and the upper cover is correspondingly plugged into the plug-in groove from the lower edge to ensure the sealing between the upper cover and the seat body; at the same time, it is convenient to disassemble and assemble the upper cover.

[0014] According to another specific implementation and preferred aspect of the utility model, when the wafer moves to the heating station, the distance between the wafer and the heating plate is 0.05-1 mm. In some specific embodiments, the optimal value of this distance is 0.08 mm, at which the wafer in a non-contact state can be heated quickly and stably.

[0015] According to another specific implementation and preferred aspect of the utility model, the heat treatment equipment further includes a hydrogen supply pipeline and a nitrogen supply pipeline connected to the heat treatment chamber, and during heating, the hydrogen supply pipeline and the nitrogen supply pipeline blow hydrogen and nitrogen to the heating station respectively. Here, the electroplated copper on the surface of the wafer can be further prevented from being oxidized.

[0016] According to another specific implementation and preferred aspect of the utility model, a heat exchange channel is provided in the cooling plate, and a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid discharge pipe respectively connected to the heat exchange channel are connected to the cooling plate, and the coolant circulates among the liquid inlet pipe, the liquid discharge pipe and the heat exchange channel, thereby realizing rapid cooling of the wafer after heating.

[0017] Preferably, the heat treatment seat also has an exhaust port close to the cooling plate and connected to the heat treatment chamber; the heat treatment equipment also includes an exhaust component connected to the exhaust port, and during cooling, the gas in the heat treatment chamber is discharged through the exhaust port. During cooling, the heat loss on the upper surface of the wafer can be achieved synchronously through the exhaust of the gas, thereby accelerating the cooling speed of the wafer and improving the heat treatment efficiency.

[0018] In addition, the transfer component includes a transfer arm disposed between the heating plate and the cooling plate, and a driving member for driving the transfer arm to rotate and lift around a vertical center line, wherein a stopper for fixing the upper surface of the wafer is provided at the end of the transfer arm. The stopper adopts a conventional anti-slip stopper structure to prevent the wafer from shifting during the transfer process.

[0019] Due to the implementation of the above technical solution, the utility model has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0020] The prior art wafer heat treatment equipment has the defects of low heat treatment efficiency due to cumbersome switching operations between wafer heating and cooling, easy exposure of wafers to the outside world leading to oxidation, and deformation and damage of wafers due to stress during multiple placements. The present application designs the structure of the wafer heat treatment equipment as a whole, and ingeniously solves the deficiencies and defects of the prior art. After adopting the heat treatment equipment, firstly, the wafer is placed on the cooling station through the feed port by an external manipulator; then, the transfer component transfers the wafer from the cooling station to the suspended heating station, so that the wafer remains on the transfer component. The wafer is placed on a heat treatment chamber and suspended for heating; the heated wafer is then moved again by the transfer component and placed on a cooling station for cooling; finally, the cooled wafer is taken away by an external robot to complete the heat treatment process. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the utility model, on the one hand, heats and cools the wafer in sequence in the heat treatment chamber, thereby preventing the wafer from being oxidized by external influences, ensuring the quality of the wafer surface coating, and effectively improving the heat treatment efficiency; on the other hand, the number of times the wafer is taken and placed is greatly reduced, effectively reducing the probability of the wafer being deformed and damaged by force, and improving the product yield. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the wafer heat treatment equipment of the present utility model (partially omitted);

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure decomposition of the wafer heat treatment equipment of the utility model (partially omitted);

[0023] Wherein: 1, heat treatment seat; 10, seat body; c1, groove; k0, feed port; k1, air guide hole; k2, exhaust port; c2, plug-in slot; c3, installation slot;

[0024] 2. Heating plate;

[0025] 3. Cooling plate; 30. Liquid inlet pipe; 31. Liquid discharge pipe;

[0026] 4. Transfer component; 40. Transfer arm; 41. Driving member; 410. Sliding seat; 411. Lifting seat; 412. Rotating motor;

[0027] 5. Exhaust components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0029] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0030] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0031] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0032] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being “above” or “below” a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being “above”, “above”, and “above” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being “below”, “below”, and “below” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0033] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be the only implementation method.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer of this embodiment includes a heat treatment seat 1, a heating plate 2, a cooling plate 3, a heat conducting component, and a transfer component 4.

[0035] Specifically, the heat treatment seat 1 includes a seat body 10 and an upper cover arranged on the top surface of the seat body 10, wherein the seat body 10 is recessed inward from the top surface to form a groove c1, a heat treatment chamber is formed between the upper cover and the groove c1, and the heating plate 2 and the cooling plate 3 are respectively installed in the groove c1. In some specific embodiments, a plug-in groove c2 extending circumferentially around the groove c1 is further formed on the top of the seat body 10, and the upper cover is correspondingly plugged into the plug-in groove c2 from the lower edge; the upper cover is made of an aluminum alloy cover.

[0036] In order to facilitate installation, two installation stations are arranged side by side and spaced apart at left and right sides at the bottom of the groove c1. The heating plate 2 and the cooling plate 3 are arranged in the heat treatment chamber and are respectively installed in the two installation stations.

[0037] In this example, the heating plate 2 adopts a conventional electric heating plate, wherein a suspended heating station is arranged above the heating plate 2; a heat exchange channel is arranged in the cooling plate 3, and a liquid inlet pipe 30 and a liquid discharge pipe 31 which are respectively connected to the heat exchange channel are connected to the cooling plate 3. The coolant circulates between the liquid inlet pipe 30, the liquid discharge pipe 31 and the heat exchange channel, and the top surface of the cooling plate 3 is arranged as a cooling station which can exchange heat with the heat exchange channel. That is to say, during heat treatment, the wafer is moved to the cooling station for cooling after being non-contact heated at the heating station.

[0038] Specifically, when the wafer moves to the heating station, the distance between the wafer and the heating plate is 0.05-1 mm. In some specific implementations, the optimal value of this distance is 0.08 mm. At this distance, the wafer in a non-contact state can be heated quickly and stably.

[0039] At the same time, in order to simplify the moving path of the wafer, a wafer feed port k0 connected to the heat treatment chamber is formed on one side of the groove c1 close to the cooling plate 3. In the horizontal projection, the cooling station is located between the top and bottom edges of the feed port k0. During feeding, an external robot places the wafer horizontally on the cooling station through the feed port k0; after cooling, the external robot directly takes out the wafer on the cooling station.

[0040] In this example, the heat-conducting component is used to supply heat-conducting gas into the heat treatment chamber.

[0041] In some specific embodiments, the side of the groove c1 close to the heating plate 2 forms an arcuate surface extending circumferentially around the heating plate 2, and the arcuate surface has a plurality of air guide holes k1 connected with the heat-conducting component. The heat-conducting gas is sprayed into the heat treatment chamber from the plurality of air guide holes k1 along the horizontal direction. In the horizontal orthographic projection, the lower part of the air guide hole k1 is located below the top surface of the heating plate 2, and the upper part is located above the top surface of the heating plate 2.

[0042] Meanwhile, the heat-conducting component of this embodiment can be any conventional gas supply device, and the heat-conducting gas transmitted is helium.

[0043] In this example, the transfer component 4 is used to move the wafer between the cooling station and the heating station.

[0044] Specifically, the transfer component 4 includes a transfer arm 40 arranged between the heating plate 2 and the cooling plate 3, and a driving member 41 for driving the transfer arm 40 to rotate and lift around the vertical center line, wherein the end of the transfer arm 40 is provided with a limiter for fixing the upper surface of the wafer, and the limiter can be any conventional anti-slip limiter structure, such as a conventional wafer fixing member such as a suction cup or a clamp, so as to prevent the wafer from shifting during the transfer process; a mounting groove c3 is formed on one side of the seat body 10, and the driving member 41 is arranged in the mounting groove c3, and includes a slide 410 forming an inclined surface from the top surface, a lifting seat 411 matched with the top surface of the slide 410 from the bottom surface, and a rotating motor 412 arranged on the top of the lifting seat 411. Under the left and right linear sliding of the slide 410, the lifting seat 411 moves up and down accordingly, thereby driving the rotating motor 412 and the transfer arm 40 to move up and down; the rotating motor 412 drives the transfer arm 40 to rotate around the vertical center line through the output shaft.

[0045] For the convenience of implementation, the heat treatment seat of this embodiment also has an exhaust port k2 close to the cooling plate 3 and connected to the heat treatment chamber; the heat treatment equipment also includes an exhaust component 5 connected to the exhaust port k2. During cooling, the gas in the heat treatment chamber is discharged through the exhaust port. In this way, not only the bottom surface of the wafer can achieve heat exchange, but the airflow can also synchronously take away the heat on the upper surface of the wafer, so that the wafer is uniformly cooled. In some specific embodiments, the exhaust component 5 includes a blower and an exhaust duct connecting the blower and the exhaust port k2.

[0046] In addition, the heat treatment equipment of this embodiment further includes a hydrogen supply pipeline and a nitrogen supply pipeline connected to the heat treatment chamber. During heating, the hydrogen supply pipeline and the nitrogen supply pipeline blow hydrogen and nitrogen to the heating station respectively.

[0047] In summary, after adopting the heat treatment equipment, firstly, the wafer is placed on the cooling station through the feed port by an external manipulator; then, the wafer is transferred from the cooling station to the suspended heating station by the transfer component, so that the wafer is kept on the transfer component and heated in the air; then, the heated wafer is moved again by the transfer component and placed on the cooling station for cooling, and finally, the cooled wafer is taken away by the external manipulator to complete the heat treatment process. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the utility model heats and cools the wafer in sequence in the heat treatment chamber, thereby preventing the wafer from being oxidized by the external influence. It ensures the quality of the wafer surface coating and effectively improves the heat treatment efficiency; on the other hand, it greatly reduces the number of wafer placement times, effectively reduces the probability of wafer deformation and damage due to force, and improves the product yield; thirdly, it is convenient for the external manipulator to send the wafer into the heat treatment chamber and accurately place it on the cooling station, and it is also convenient for the external manipulator to take the wafer out of the heat treatment chamber; fourthly, it can achieve rapid and stable heating of wafers in a non-contact state; fifthly, during cooling, the heat loss on the upper surface of the wafer can be achieved simultaneously through the discharge of gas, thereby accelerating the cooling speed of the wafer and improving the heat treatment efficiency.

[0048] The above detailed description of the utility model is intended to enable people familiar with the technology in this field to understand the content of the utility model and implement it. It is not intended to limit the protection scope of the utility model. All equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the utility model should be included in the protection scope of the utility model.

Claims

1. A wafer heat treatment device for preventing oxidation of a surface copper electroplating layer, characterized in that: The heat treatment equipment includes a heat treatment seat forming a heat treatment chamber, a heating plate and a cooling plate arranged at intervals in the heat treatment chamber, a heat conduction component for supplying heat conduction gas into the heat treatment chamber, and a transfer component, wherein the heat treatment seat has a wafer feed port connected to the heat treatment chamber; a cooling station is arranged on the top surface of the cooling plate, and a suspended heating station is arranged above the heating plate. During feeding, the wafer passes through the feed port and is horizontally placed on the cooling station, and the transfer component is used to move the wafer between the cooling station and the heating station.

2. The wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The heat treatment seat includes a seat body and an upper cover arranged on the top surface of the seat body, wherein the seat body is recessed inward from the top surface to form a groove, a heat treatment chamber is formed between the upper cover and the groove, and the heating plate and the cooling plate are respectively installed in the groove.

3. The wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The feed port is formed on one side of the groove close to the cooling plate, and in the horizontal orthographic projection, the cooling station is located between the top edge and the bottom edge of the feed port.

4. The wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side of the groove close to the heating plate forms an arc surface extending around the heating plate, and the arc surface has a plurality of air guide holes connected with the heat conduction component, and the heat conduction gas is sprayed into the heat treatment chamber along the horizontal direction from the plurality of air guide holes; And / or, the heat-conducting gas is helium.

5. The wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The top of the seat body is also formed with an inserting groove extending circumferentially around the groove, and the upper cover is correspondingly and sealingly inserted into the inserting groove from the lower edge.

6. The wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the wafer moves to the heating station, the distance between the wafer and the heating plate is 0.05-1 mm.

7. The wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The heat treatment equipment further comprises a hydrogen supply pipeline and a nitrogen supply pipeline which are connected to the heat treatment chamber. During heating, the hydrogen supply pipeline and the nitrogen supply pipeline respectively blow hydrogen and nitrogen to the heating station.

8. The wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heat exchange channel is provided in the cooling plate, and a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid discharge pipe respectively connected to the heat exchange channel are connected to the cooling plate, and the coolant circulates among the liquid inlet pipe, the liquid discharge pipe and the heat exchange channel.

9. The wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat treatment seat also has an exhaust port close to the cooling plate and connected to the heat treatment chamber; the heat treatment equipment also includes an exhaust component connected to the exhaust port, and during cooling, the gas in the heat treatment chamber is discharged through the exhaust port.

10. The wafer heat treatment equipment for preventing oxidation of the surface copper electroplating layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transfer component includes a transfer arm arranged between the heating plate and the cooling plate, and a driving member for driving the transfer arm to rotate and move up and down around a vertical center line, wherein a limiter is provided at the end of the transfer arm for fixing the upper surface of the wafer.

Images